13 February, 2017

North Korea boasts ‘successful’ ballistic missile launch

Pyongyang
says a new ballistic missile was test-fired on Sunday, adding that
the launch was a success. The North Korean missile flew over 500
kilometers, landing in the sea and stirring up world leaders, with
the US rushing to reassure its allies South Korea and Japan.

A
new type of strategic medium-to-long-range ballistic missile, called
Pukguksong-2, was test-fired on Sunday, the North Korean state news
agency KCNA said.

North
Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally supervised the launch, which the
KCNA said was Pyongyang’s new means to deliver nuclear warheads.

The
new missile was also successfully tested for its ability to dodge
interceptors with evasive maneuvers, Yonhap news agency cited the
statement as saying.

Another
major boost for North Korean missile technology is the solid fuel
engine said to be used in the new weapon. Pyongyang has been testing
the engine, which would give the rockets greater range and make the
launches harder to detect, over the past year. The technology was
said to be tested previously in a submarine missile launch.

The
Saturday launch gave rise to speculations whether it was a new
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) being tested, as Kim
promised that the allegedly developed long-range ICBM would be
test-fired in 2017. The flight path was also analyzed, with some
reports suggesting it might have indicated a failed launch. The
missile reportedly flew upward to an altitude of 550 kilometers (342
miles), before landing into the Sea of Japan 500 kilometers from the
launch spot in the northwest province of North Pyongang, South Korean
military sources said. It did not reach Japan’s economic zone.

However,
the KCNA said the markedly high angle was chosen for the “safety
of neighboring countries,” Reuters quotes.